A New Happiness Study Makes a Major Case for Working From Home

Being part of the work force is hard enough — but add a bumper-to-bumper commute and working from home sounds like a straight up vacation. Even though technology has made this option easier than ever, many employers still worry it'll leave people feeling isolated, undervalued, and, well, not as productive as sitting in the cube next to the boss.

A recent report from employment survey startup TINYpulse says otherwise. According to its survey of 509 full-time U.S. workers and data from a broader pool of 200,000 employees, remote workers are happier and more productive on average. In fact, remote workers rated their happiness level at a 8.1 out of 10, while the average is 7.42. And a whopping 91% of remote workers said they felt they were able to get more done at home than in the office.

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Interesting? Sure. But that's not to say everything is rainbows and butterflies if you work in your casa. Remote employees admitted they felt they didn't have as strong of relationships with co-workers, rating them at 6.69 out of 10, compared to a 7.75 average. But that makes sense, since they probably don't have as many of those "Any fun weekend plans?" water cooler chats.

Clearly, both situations have their advantages and disadvantages. So if you have to make this decision, a pro-con list is a must. One question you have to ask yourself? Slippers verses high heels (not such a tough call there).